This invention generally relates to a cassette tape recording/reproducing apparatus which is so adapted that after a cassette is horizontally pushed deep in a pack guide, the pack guide is lowered in a vertical direction to set the cassette in a recording/reproducing position on a bottom plate of the apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a cassette tape recording/reproducing apparatus of the aforesaid type which is capable of carrying out all operations for cassette loading and unloading including putting-in of a cassette and ejection thereof, in a predetermined sequence and with appropriate timing, by employing and organically combining specific mechanisms (1) to (3) as summarized in the following:
(1) A drawing mechanism which automatically draws a cassette into the interior of the pack guide which has been partially or halfway put in the pack guide.
(2) A pack guide lowering and raising mechanism which lowers the cassette drawn into the interior of the pack guide into a recording/reproducing position together with the pack guide and raises the cassette from the recording/reproducing position with the pack guide.
(3) An ejecting mechanism which projects the cassette in the pack guide out of the front of the apparatus when the recording/reproducing operation has been completed.
The cassette tape recording/reproducing mechanism of the present invention may further employ, in combination with the mechanisms (1) to (3), a mechanism for pressing and releasing a head and pinch rollers relative to the cassette set in the recording/reproducing position. According to this arrangement, the head and the pinch rollers can be pressed against and disengaged from the cassette with appropriate timing according to the loading and unloading of the cassette.
There have been proposed various systems for loading a cassette. In accordance with one system of them, a cassette is first put in a pack guide from the front of an apparatus and pushed into an innermost position along the pack guide, and then lowered in the vertical direction to be set in a recording/reproducing position. This system has such an advantage that the cassette is more accurately loaded over other systems, since the cassette is adapted to be lowered vertically and a positioning pin provided on the apparatus can be easily received by a guide slot formed on the cassette. However, according to this system, the cassette should be pushed until the forward end of the cassette is fully depressed from the apparatus. In general, however, an inlet of the pack guide is too small for fingers to be put in. Furthermore, on the front of the pack guide there are provided various members such as an apparatus frame, escutcheon, etc. Thus, it is very difficult to push the cassette into the foremost position by hand. To solve this problem, the recording/reproducing apparatus of this type generally employs a cassette drawing mechanism. The cassette drawing mechanism is then so adapted that when the cassette is pushed halfway into the pack guide, the cassette is automatically drawn into the interior of the apparatus by a drawing force stored in the apparatus during the initial pushing operation of the cassette, and set in a recording/reproducing position.
This known cassette drawing mechanism, however, has the following structural and functional problems:
(a) The cassette drawing mechanism utilizes a pushing force applied when the cassette is pushed halfway by hand. This force is stored in the form of an energy for the drawing mechanism and used to draw the cassette when the cassette passes a given point in the retreat course thereof. However, the pushing force thus applied is usually stored in the form of an energy for pushing out the cassette forwardly. To utilize this force as an energy for drawing the cassette, the acting direction of the energy is required to be changed using a link mechanism, a rack-pinion mechanism or cam means. Accordingly, where the tape recording/reproducing apparatus employs such a cassette drawing mechanism therein, the structure will be complicated and the overall size is increased because of the complicated mechanism. This problem is most serious in a car audio unit such as a car stereo because a space for mounting the unit is very limited.
(b) In the tape recording/reproducing apparatus with the cassette drawing mechanism, it is required to automatically effect drawing of the cassette pushed halfway into the pack guide, lowering into the recording/reproducing position and pressing of the head etc. against the cassette in a predetermined sequence and with appropriate timing. However, it has been considerqbly difficult to control these operations so as to be effected accurately. Heretofore, these operations are controlled by engaging or disengaging, for example, projections, levers, slots or grooves provided on the components of the mechanism. However, where the tape recording/reproducing apparatus is formed thinner and small-sized, engagement between the components becomes inaccurate and unstable and there is a possibility that such engagement is undesirably released causing misoperation of the mechanism. Furthermore, especially in case of a car audio unit such as a car stereo, engagement, locking or connection between the components are likely to be released due to vibration caused by a running car.
(c) Furthermore, in the tape recording/reproducing apparatus of this type, there is provided a mechanism to push out the cassette set in the interior of the apparatus so that an operator of the apparatus can easily take the cassette out of the apparatus. The force for ejecting the cassette is an energy stored during the pushing operation for cassette loading. In this connection, it is to be noted that the apparatus should be specifically arranged so that this stored ejecting force will not hinder the operation of the drawing mechanism when the cassette is loaded, and, on the contrary, the drawing mechanism will not prevent proper ejecting operation. Accordingly, there has been long desired an apparatus which can properly control the operational relationship between the ejecting mechanism and the drawing mechanism and yet can be formed small and thin.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cassette tape recording/reproducing apparatus having a cassette loading control mechanism which assures proper and smooth operations of various mechanisms provided therein, especially, a cassette drawing mechanism, an ejecting mechanism etc. in cassette loading or unloading, and yet is suitable for thin and compact formation of the apparatus.